Summer News Roundup (Updated August 12)

The Virginia Symphony will play a “free concert “:http://www.virginiasymphony.org/Concerts/concertDetails.php?id=0 at the Lake Matoaka Amphitheater Thursday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. The concert, titled “La Vida Salsa,” issponsored by the city, the College and the Virginia Symphony Society of Greater Williamsburg. It will feature Latin-inspired classical music from artists such as George Gershwin, Georges Bizet and Arturo Rodriguez.

**Kinesiology prof reunited with ’60s rock band — 8 August 2008**

Kinesiology chair Ken Kambis “has reunited “:http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Headlines/entMUS01080808.htm with a rock group he played guitar for in the ’60s. Kambis formed the group with friends at Catawba College, and between 1965 and 1968 the Studs covered songs by the Beatles, the Who and the Hollies, as well as original songs. Forty years later, the members were itching to be reunited. The group played their reunion gig last night in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

**Politico: McCain campaign vetting Cantor J.D. ’88 — 2 August 2008**

An unnamed campaign advisor for presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain “told political blog Politico today “:http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12264.html that the campaign is currently vetting Eric Cantor J.D. ’88 as a vice-presidential running mate. Cantor has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Virginia’s Seventh District, which includes parts of Richmond, since 2001. “Conservatives view Cantor as a strong choice “:http://www.ericcantorforvp.com/index.php/, especially considering that a top contendor for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is Va. Governor Tim Kaine and that Virginia is, for the first time in decades, in play. Va. Congressman Virgil Goode, an outspoken supporter of Cantor, “told The Washington Post “:http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/07/eric_cantor_for_vice_president.html that Cantor is a vigorous fundraiser and is also a “true conservative,” citing his conservative views on issues such as abortion, gun laws, border control and gay marriage. “We need some enthusiasm generated with the conservative base,” Goode told The Post. “If not, I’m worried that you would have more defections to [Libertarian Party presidential candidate] Bob Barr or [Constitution Party presidential candidate] Chuck Baldwin.”

**Brown ’68 heads Virginia’s finances — 2 August 2008**

Governor Tim Kaine today “appointed “:http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease.cfm?id=735 Richard “Ric” Brown ’68 the state’s Secretary of Finance. Brown replaces the retiring Jody Wagner, who was crucial to the state’s spring passage of a higher education bill “that financed various College projects “:http://www.flathatnews.com/news/2454/state-foots-bill-for-school-of-education/, including the new School of Education. Brown previously served as director of the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget. “I am confident that Ric Brown will continue to serve the Commonwealth with the same enthusiasm and skill that he brought to his time at DPB,” Kaine said in a press release.

**Alum named head coach of Stanford’s cross-country teams — 31 July 2008**

Jason Dunn ’96 “has been named “:http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=8860 the head coach of Stanford University’s cross-country teams. He replaces former head coach Peter Tegen. Dunn previously served as head cross-country coach at the University of Virginia. Dunn is a talented coach; at U.Va., he led the team to two Atlantic Coast Conference championships and saw two runners named ACC Freshman of the Year.

**Richard Bland opens first student housing — 31 July 2008**

Richard Bland College “has opened “:http://www.progress-index.com/articles/2008/07/31/news/pi_progindex.20080731.a.pg1.pi0731rbc_s1.1845881_top2.txt two new dorms on its Petersburg, Va., campus — its first ever on-campus housing. Richard Bland, a 1,400-student public junior college, used to be affiliated with the College; it is still governed by the College’s Board of Visitors. The addition of the dorms, which can house 251 students, comes along with a library expansion and a new student union.

**Shulz J.D. ’95 takes high post at SEC — 30 July 2008**

William Shulz J.D. ’95 “has been named “:http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2008/2008-153.htm Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Since 2005 Shulz has served as an advisor to SEC Chairman Christopher Cox. Shulz also previously served as the senior counsel on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Policy Committee.

A “partnership “:http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp=8728603&nav=ZolHbyvj between the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has led to special CW license plates which Virginians can purchase instead of the normal Virginia plate. The plates feature a drawing of the Capitol at the end of Duke of Gloucester Street. The special plates come with an annual fee of $25. After the sale of 1,000 sets of plates, the DMV said it will donate $15 of each plate fee with Colonial Williamsburg. According to the DMV, the plates will take nine months to issue.

**Preview of new College website available — 22 July 2008**

In a message this morning to students, faculty and staff, Provost Geoff Feiss announced that a preview of the new College website homepage will be accessible through Monday, July 28. The preview can be viewed “here “:http://preview.wm.edu/. The new site will officially launch on Thursday, July 31.

**Beales scholarship given to biology prospective — 18 July 2008**

Kate Mize ’12 “has been named “:http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=9051 the recipient of the 2008 Harriett Pittard Beales Scholarship. The scholarship provides tuition assistance and was established in 1984 by the Beales family of Boydton, Va. Mize plans to study biology at the College.

**Law alum heads USAID’s Panama mission — 16 July 2008**

Littleton Tazewell J.D. ’91 “has been named “:http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2008/pr080715.html Panama’s mission director for the U.S. Agency for International Development, a federal organization that provides assistance to developing nations. Tazewell previously served as a legal advisor for USAID’s central Asia division. Officials said his legal experience in developing nations will greatly benefit Panama, where a prosperous economy contrasts with corruption and environmental problems. In 2007 USAID spent $4 million in the Latin American nation.

**SunTrust supports VIMS — 19 June 2008**

The SunTrust Mid-Atlantic Foundation has made a “5-year, $100,000 grant “:http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=8992 to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The money will be used to create an endowment fund and to support students studying marine science.

**Business prof lands Fulbright — 18 June 2008**

Mason School of Business Professor Dorothea Abraham “is the recipient “:http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/professor-chon-abraham-mason-school-business-college-william–mary-named/ of a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study healthcare in Japan for nine months. Abraham is an information systems specialist. Her Fulbright-sponsored research will be a comparative study regarding initiatives known as eCare, which employ information systems like electronic medical records to better meet healthcare needs and integrate environments of care.

**Reiss appointed to Congressional Commission — 17 June 2008**

Vice Provost for International Relations Mitchell B. Reiss “has been appointed “:http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=8990 to the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. Reiss will serve as an advisor on WMD- and terrorism-related issues. The commission will make recommendations to Congress and the president in December.

**Alum oversees hospital’s relocation — 15 June 2008**

Christopher Gessner ’89 “has been appointed “:http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08167/889832-28.stm President of the University of Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital in Pennsylvania. Next year he will oversee the move of the entire hospital to a new facility.

**College alumna takes top post at University of Wisconsin — 13 June 2008**

Carolyn Martin ’73 was appointed “Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin—Madison “:http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/05/28/carolyn_martin_to_be.php/. “I’m delighted and honored to have been recommended for the chancellorship at UW-Madison,” Martin said in a press conference. The position is equivalent to the College’s President. “Those of us in Williamsburg will bask in her reflected glory,” Interim College President Taylor Reveley said.

Morgan Faulkner ’12 is the first recipient of the “Anne Trevarthen Memorial Scholarship “:http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/middlepeninsula/dp-local_faulkner_0711jul11,0,3450773.story/, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The scholarship goes to an incoming student “who has demonstrated a personal connection to American Indian culture and traditions.” Faulkner, a King William, Va., resident, is a member of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe. Trevarthen, the scholarship’s namesake, was a Williamsburg resident who was highly involved in the DAR.

**American Studies alum works at Richmond art museum — 7 June 2008**

Susan Jensen Rawles Ph.D ’05 “was appointed “:http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=24618 Assistant Curator of American Decorative Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. “We are delighted to welcome … [Rawles] to our curatorial staff as we prepare for a major transformation of the museum,” Museum Director Alex Nyerges told artdaily.org. Rawles’ specialty is European and American decorative arts and has studied the British Royal Family’s art collection, which includes hundreds of thousands of works of art.

**Blount ’78 heads seminary — 3 June 2008**

“Brian Blount ’78 “:http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-05-08-0166.html was inaugurated as the president of Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va. He is the first African-American to serve as president of a theological seminary of the United States Presbyterian Church. “I believe that we follow God’s lead in life and we often can’t determine where that lead would call us,” Blount said. “I never would have anticipated that I would end up being a seminary president. I’m here because I’m following the direction and calling for my life that I believe comes from God.” Blount earned his Master’s of Divinity from Princeton University and a doctorate from Emory University.

**Elizabeth Omohundro dead at 91 — 27 May 2008**

College benefactor Elizabeth Omohundro “has died at 91 “:http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=8933 . She and her late husband Malvern Hill Omohundro Jr. donated heavily to the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, which was renamed in their honor in 1996. “Those of us at William and Mary are saddened by the loss of our wonderful friend, Elizabeth Omohundro,” Interim College President Taylor Reveley said. “The College’s eminence in early American history and culture springs in large measure from the generosity and enthusiasm of the Omohundro family.” The couple gave Swem Library its one-millionth book in 1981.

**Education alumna heads Student Life at university in Kansas — 21 May 2008**

Tisa Mason D.Ed. ’92 was appointed “Vice President for Student Affairs “:http://www.fhsu.edu/currentevents/display_event.php?id=3566 at Fort Hays State University in Kansas. “What really attracted me was the combination of the traditional college student experience and the progressiveness and virtual thinking,” Mason told The Hays Daily News.

**VCU and the College collaborate on health policy and law — 15 May 2008**

Virginia Commonwealth University and the College “will bring faculty and students together “:http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=8914 to conduct research and programs focusing on health policy, law and bioethics. “Our two institutions recognized that the most meaningful way to address health care issues was to bring together our expertise in law, health and public policy,” Interim College President Taylor Reveley said. “In particular, we want to increase the understanding of the role that the law plays in the complex process of health policy development.” The first initiative of the coupling involves College law students providing legal services for veterans’ disability claims while VCU psychology students provide counseling.

**Law school awards citizen-lawyer award to alum — 11 May 2008**

Gilbert A. Bartlett ’62 J.D. ’69 was awarded the “2008 Marshall-Wythe School of Law Citizen-Lawyer Award “:http://www.wm.edu/law/news/sNewsMU/home/bartlett-62-jd-69-receives-law-school-associations-citizenlawyer-award/ . The award, given annually at the law school graduation ceremony, highlights lawyers with “outstanding citizenship and leadership.” Bartlett has lived in Williamsburg for many years; after earning an undergraduate English degree, he served in the Marine Corps for several years before returning to earn his law degree. He has lived in the area since.

**Alumnus nominated to Fourth Circuit — 8 May 2008**

President George W. Bush “appointed “:http://www.valawyersweekly.com/weeklyedition/2008/05/19/agee-and-conrad-tapped-for-4th-circuit/ Glen Conrad ’71 J.D. ’74 to the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Conrad has been a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia since 2003. The Fourth Circuit oversees most of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. To date, Conrad has not been confirmed by the Senate, and political analysts point out that confirmations generally do not move forward in election years.